Volume Four, Chapter Five
The clock strikes the hour of the ox—though I’m not sure if that expression works in this world. Anyway, it is deep in the dead of night. I think Mr. Ville and everyone should be asleep by now in the castle rooms assigned as our bedrooms.
Meanwhile, I’ve summoned my Camping Car to the courtyard Mr. Noah showed me, and we’re having a secret debriefing with our across-world-line group!
“First things first—I’m glad you made it back safely. It was quite an interesting dungeon, wasn’t it?”
“Well, I never expected there would be infinite spawns like that.”
Mr. Noah laughs cheerfully, holding a glass of barley tea in one hand.
“It’s been ages since I had barley tea! Reminds me of high school baseball and somen noodles.”
Honestly, hearing that makes me nostalgic too.
Our conversation suddenly falls silent, and the car interior grows quiet. When I look up, I find those unusually serious light-red eyes staring intently at me.
“…I think that finally breaks Ville’s—no, all their death flags. Thank you for saving my little brother’s life.”
“Wha—?! No, I should be thanking you! Everyone protected me so much! Honestly, if I hadn’t met Mr. Ville, I wouldn’t have made it this far in this world… so, really, thank you!”
His beautiful black hair sways gently, even in the dim light. Even knowing he was once an ordinary person, making the highest authority in this country bow his head to me is just too much!
As I flail awkwardly, Mr. Noah gently places his slender but large hand over mine.
“Ever since he left home, I’ve been constantly worried. I kept thinking when that event might happen—today or tomorrow—and I couldn’t relax at all…”
“Mr. Noah…”
“Of course, I had people keeping an eye on him… but then by chance, he met you, Ms. Rin, and started changing bit by bit. That truly made me happy.”
A sheen of tears forms in his eyes, softening his expression. A single tear slid down his pale cheek and landed on the table… Well… of course! As an older brother, he’d be worried about his younger brother’s life! The tight grip on my hand seems to carry the weight of everything Mr. Noah has been bearing… and it leaves me speechless.
Just as the mood grows all sentimental and emotional… Mr. Noah’s stomach gives a loud grumble.
“…I’m… sorry…”
“Ah, well… with the curry smell filling the air, it can’t be helped…”
Mr. Noah, his face bright red, gently releases my hand. His gaze quickly turns away.
…Hmm… I can really see the blood connection with Mr. Ville in moments like this…
“It’s just that… I’ve been craving regular curry for so long…”
“That’s great then. I imagine there’s nothing like Japanese curry roux around here.”
Now that my hand is free, I take the opportunity to stir the pot, hoping to change the mood. In the large pot, curry made with the front legs of that Drauwurm is simmering.
It is Mr. Noah’s special request!
We were already planning to have a quiet talk about this whole matter, but since simmering shank meat takes time, it needs to be prepared in advance—and then he said he wanted to try that nostalgic flavor. Well, I can understand the feeling. Sometimes you just desperately crave the taste of home.
I turn back to look at Mr. Noah sitting on the sofa by the window, listening to the sound of the slowly stewed shank meat getting tender.
“…So, what effect did that orb actually have?”
“That thing? In the game, it’s an event item. It’s for peeling off the magical defense I cast on myself.”
“Ahhh! So that’s how the item was meant to be used.”
Those red eyes, lighter in color than Mr. Ville’s, crinkle with a mischievous smile. Listening to him talk, I realize again just how crucial that item actually is.
By the way, I explained it to Mr. Ville and the rest as "a pretty powerful debuff item," glossing over the details. Obviously, I can’t say "It’s an item to weaken Mr. Noah!" in front of his younger brother.
“But I’m glad we retrieved it before the saint’s team! I think it could really disrupt their plans.”
“Right? If they went to conquer the dungeon only to find it had already been cleared, they would be pretty flustered.”
While listening to Mr. Noah chuckling, I serve the freshly cooked rice onto a plate and ladle plenty of dragon curry over it. The brownish curry sauce gradually soaks into the rice.
Ahhh… this fragrant smell is truly irresistible…! The addictiveness of "plain curry" without any special tweaks is not to be underestimated.
“Wow! This! This is exactly what I wanted to eat! Thank you, Ms. Rin!”
“For people like us, it’s kind of like ‘mom’s home cooking,’ isn’t it?”
When I place the dish in front of Mr. Noah, whose eyes are sparkling with excitement, he immediately digs in with his spoon, barely taking time to thank me. Seeing him completely abandon his manners, I cannot help thinking he must have been really hungry.
I guess I’ll have a taste some too, while I’m at it!
One spoonful, then two… Mr. Noah, who has been eagerly scooping with his spoon, suddenly pauses.
“Mmm! The curry flavor holds its own against the dragon broth, and these chunky vegetables are just amazing…!”
“Ahh… Just having big chunks in the curry makes it feel so much more luxurious!”
As I listen to Mr. Noah’s delight, I carefully load my spoon with curry-covered rice and meat, bringing it to my mouth without spilling.
The burst of spices hit my nose, and the rich umami spread across my tongue in full. Thanks to using a medium-spicy roux, despite being rich and creamy, the spicy tingle stimulating my tongue prevents any greasy sensation. Actually, the dragon broth is powerful enough to stand up to the curry flavor…!
“This is made from the Drauwurm boss, right? I never imagined it would be this delicious.”
“Even though I simmered it for a long time, the flavor hasn’t diminished at all… dragon meat is amazing!”
The sinewy parts had turned into a jelly-like texture. In my mouth, they clung to my tongue while melting away.
Inferior meat would fall apart when simmered for too long, but the Drauwurm shin meat maintains enough elasticity to push back against my teeth as I chewed…! Plus, each bite releases juices that prove plenty of flavor remains.
Mr. Noah, having polished off his curry, set down his spoon with satisfaction. I also place my empty bowl on the kitchen counter.
The illustration’s description: Noah is going to eat the curry and Rin is standing beside him with a tray.
“…Alright. This shifts the advantage a bit more in our favor. Things are going quite favorably, but…”
“Right, we can’t let our guard down. I’m sure there are events that might benefit the other side…”
“Yes. I can’t deny that…”
Those eyes, now taking on a serious shade unlike moments ago, stare at me intently.
…I understand what he’s trying to say. Even if we took out what looked like a major event, there’s no telling what’ll happen next on their end! There may even be some plot twist events designed to help novice players.
“So, Ms. Rin. I’d be happy if you could continue adventuring with Ville and the others, disrupting events along the way.”
“Yes! Of course!”
“That’s good! …You’re happy about that too, aren’t you, Ville?”
Mr. Noah, who had been watching me with amusement as I instinctively clenched my fist in my usual habit, suddenly turned toward the door and called out.
…But Mr. Ville should already be asleep by now… Just as I have been thinking this, I hear the sound of branches or leaves rustling beyond the hedge.
Huh… wait, could it really be!?
After a few seconds of silence, the person who cautiously peeks his face through the gap in the hedge is Mr. Ville himself, who should have long returned to his room…
“W-what!? H-how long have you been there, Mr. Ville!?”
“N-No… I just arrived, and I wasn’t really…”
“Oh, really? You weren’t secretly checking on Ms. Rin because you were worried?”
My startled cry happened almost simultaneously with Mr. Ville slipping into the Camping Car. As he awkwardly averts his gaze, Gomamiso is clinging to his back, radiating determination not to be left behind no matter what.
As Gomamiso headbutts me with kitten-like affection as usual, sapping my HP with its paws, wings, and tail, Mr. Ville comes over, still looking flustered. Mr. Noah, watching the three of us huddled together, suddenly breaks into a warm smile.
“Hehe… I should leave for tomorrow’s official duties, but you two take your time talking. I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed.
Mr. Noah said that with a casual wave before stepping out of the Camping Car, passing Mr. Ville on his way, and disappearing into the night.
Mr. Ville remains silent for a while, furrowing his brow, but finally, as if having made up his mind, he sits down in an empty seat. Right next to where Mr. Noah had been sitting on the sofa earlier. Though we aren’t directly facing each other, it is a seat where I can still clearly see his face.
“…Umm… so, uh…”
As I watch Mr. Ville fidgeting—folding and unfolding his hands on the table—I somehow feel myself becoming calmer. Humans indeed become more composed when they see someone more flustered than themselves. Not knowing how to start the conversation either, I take out a glass, pour some barley tea, and offer it to Mr. Ville.
“Um… by the way, from which part did you start listening?”
“Honestly… I didn’t hear anything major. Just my brother asking you to get along with me, that’s all…”
“Ah. So around the end.”
As Mr. Ville has answered while scratching his cheek in embarrassment, I inwardly sigh with relief. Fortunately, he had only heard from a part that wouldn’t be problematic. I mean, seriously, if he had heard that this world is actually a game world, or that he and his party were originally destined to die, I wouldn’t know how to comfort or follow up on that!
For now, at least he only heard the harmless parts…! Thank goodness!
“Well, according to your brother, I seem to be a disruptor…! When I’m with you and everyone, it makes it easier to thwart the saint’s ambitions…”
“Yes. I had a feeling that was the case… so you really are a key person in this saint summoning.”
As Mr. Ville sips his barley tea, our conversation continues bit by bit, though still slightly awkward.
He seems interested in the curry, glancing at it occasionally. But when I tried to serve him some, he stopped me, so I decided to continue our conversation a bit more before offering again.
“From what my brother said, I’d guess… we’ll probably need your power to deal with the ones behind the saint summoning.”
“Yes. Eight times out of ten… no, ninety-nine out of a hundred, I believe that’s the case.”
After all, I’m sort of a "being outside the laws of the world," if I may sound a bit cool.
An irregular element in this scenario world.
If there’s any meaning to my being summoned to this world, it’s probably to shake up this scenario that, from my perspective, seems pretty terrible.
To travel the world together with Mr. Ville… the Gourmands who I’ve completely gotten used to without realizing, and the adorably sassy Gomamiso.
Just as the quiet clink of his cup being returned to its saucer sounds, Mr. Ville’s hand gently covers mine. Tracing from his hand up his arm, shoulder, neck… I look up to find his crimson eyes, deeper than usual, staring intently at me.
“Listen, Rin. Going forward, I think I’ll be involving you in complicated matters between nations…”
Mr. Ville’s face shows a smile that mixes sadness, frustration, and resignation—an emotion I cannot quite name. What exactly is this emotion? Come to think of it, if we’re talking about complications involving nations, I’m the one who connected Mr. Ville to all this in the first place.
If I had just stayed away from him back then, he wouldn’t have had to deal with troublesome matters like the saint summoning… Feeling like I should be the one apologizing for the current situation, the tightness in my chest makes it hard to breathe.
As I am about to scold my trembling lips into behaving, he suddenly squeezes my hand tightly.
“…But… I just can’t bring myself to let you go…”
“T-that’s…! Don’t… say things like that—you’ll make it harder for me! At least let me see this through to the end…!”
My voice, responding to Mr. Ville’s incredibly gentle words, was embarrassingly shaky.
But I’m sure he pretended not to notice.
I feel a bit pathetic, but hey—I managed to hold back the tears, so I’d like a little credit for that.
As I chug the lukewarm barley tea to hide my emotions, Mr. Ville’s lips curl into a grin:
“Then I guess we’re still bound together by fate. I—no, all of us—have no intention of parting from you. Will you keep sticking with us?”
“Gladly! Whether it’s sightseeing or scouting out some remote wasteland, I’m in!”
With a slightly mischievous grin, Mr. Ville holds out his fist. I grin back and bump it with my own.
Just then, Gomamiso’s little paw lands on top—sending a weird mix of dull knuckle pain and the soft squish of the kitten’s pad straight up my spine into my brain.
Our promise is made.
Probably a lot of things will happen from here on out, but with everyone around, I’m sure it will be fine.
With that thought in my heart, I look at Mr. Ville and we both laugh from the depths of our bellies.
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